Search Results for 'popular' (3006 matches)

Spreading Smiles, Smile Cards And Chocolate :)

Yesterday afternoon, I bought a few things from the supermarket. I decided to buy a chocolate bar for the checkout operator, and gift it with a smile card. The woman at the check-out counter was an older lady, and at first, she seemed very grumpy. After paying, I was nervous to give my gift to her, because for the whole time we interacted, she didn't smile at all. Nevertheless, I picked up the courage and gave it to her, explaining that it was for her.   It was the most amazing reaction ever! :) She seemed shocked at first but then a huuuge smile spread across her face, and she was so happy and thankful! She told me that no customers had ever done anything nice for her before. I felt so happy that I was able to make her smile! :) Then I went out to wait for the bus at the bus ... Read Full Story >>

Advice From An Old Man

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and face shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. "I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. "Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." "That doesn' t have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't ... Read Full Story >>

The Man At The Bus Stop

I live about a mile from a gas station. In front of that gas station is a bus stop. I see people at that bus stop every single day, but I never really have looked at them. A few days ago in the morning, as I was waiting at the light in front of the gas station, a man pushing a loaded down cart walked in front of me at the intersection. I recognized him. He was someone I had seen at the bus station before. When I came home later in the day, I noticed him sitting at the bus stop again. And, the next morning, there he was. When I came home that evening, he was still there. Suddenly I started noticing this man at the bus stop and realized he wasn't catching any bus. So, today I finally pulled into the gas station and introduced myself. The man's name is Bill. ... Read Full Story >>

The Gypsy Flower Boy

In 2000, I was on holiday with my friends on the  island of Corfu, Greece. One night we were walking along the main road that was lined on both sides with bars and nightclubs and it was very late maybe 11:30pm.  I noticed that there were children walking along in front of me and I thought, "It is late for children to be up and about," but then I noticed that they were gypsy children, young girls and boys selling roses, or trying to sell roses to drunk tourists and gangs of girls out for the night! I felt sad when I saw one boy, probably no older than 8 or 9, trying to sell theflowers to the passers by and getting polite and sometimes agressive responses from the people that thronged the street. "Where were his parents and what was he doing out at this time," I thought.  I just ... Read Full Story >>

One Scary Man

I know that the title is little curious. But the scary homeless man is even more curious. I have lived in Mayport Florida for about three years. Every day, leaving work, coming home and running errands, I pass this homeless man with two shopping baskets full of his treasures.  Except for about 2-3 months of the year (and I'm not sure where he goes during that time), he is always around, never to be missed. Anyhow, the reason I call him a scary man is because my son and I are often together when we see this man and he's always talkin to him self and staring at people with an awkward look. He talks loud and much of what he says does not make sense. With his two carts filled to the top, he's there just talking away.  It's intimidating. My wife and I are always talking about his misfortune and how ... Read Full Story >>

Shopping In The Rain

Today it was raining really hard. When I went to the grocery store, all of the Shopping Carts were dripping wet. I managed to find a paper towel and wipe it down and off I went to do my shopping.

I only picked up a few items and was on my way out of the store. As I walked out I noticed a Mom struggling as she came through the store doors with a baby in her arms. It was raining so hard outside she was running in.  I quickly said she could use my cart as it was dry and she could put the baby in right away instead of looking for something to dry a cart off with. I just grabbed my bags of groceries out of the cart -- they were light -- and I ran off to my car without a cart.   The mom was very grateful to me for helping her out.

I felt happy knowing I was able to offer her my shopping cart and was able to help her with her little baby.

Be on the look out for opportunities.  They're everywhere, even when you're grocery shopping in the rain!

A True Santa Who Changed Our Lives

Shortly after my divorce, I had to quit my management job and take a factory job so I could spend more time with my three kids. I was only making 1/5 of what I was and things were getting really tight.  But I have never asked anyone for anything; my pride wouldn't allow it. I didn't really know how I was going to continue making ends meet. To make it worse, Christmas was coming up and I couldn't even afford a tree or any gifts for my children. I was behind on rent and the light bill was past due. I don't know where it came from or from who, but one day when I returned home from work, I was totally amazed. I just started crying and I couldn't stop.  Someone had delivered so much stuff to my house. Gifts for all three children. Clothes, School supplies, toys. Enough ... Read Full Story >>

Anything helps!

I was just stopping by the grocery store yesterday when I saw a guy outside with a sign that said, "Anything helps". As I turned my car around and he was just about to pack up and leave. I asked what he needed in the store. He asked for a can of ravioli. I picked him up ravioli, spaghetti, and beef stroganoff in the car. He seemed to be appreciative when I gave them to him. 

Hats For The Homeless

A true kindness soul! ❤️Bless this man.

 A 91-year-old man fighting cancer is knitting warm hats for the homeless while bedridden in hospice care. Despite being weak and frail, with a mass on his kidney, Morrie Boogart, has knitted more than 18,000 hats.

The Wrong Bus at the Right Time

This happened several weeks ago. That morning, I prayed to God to use me for his glory! During my commute to work, I accidentally got on the wrong bus to my office (I was reading the news on my phone) and had to get off and walk several blocks to work, a path I never take normally. I met a man sitting on a bench looking very distressed, so I asked him what was wrong. He said his car had been towed from a public lot and he had no money to get to the airport to meet his wife. I told him I could help him and to wait there for me. I went to my bank one block away and got cash. When I returned, the man was standing there, watching me approach him. When I gave him the money, he hugged me, thanked me, and started crying! I ... Read Full Story >>

Husband's Act Of Kindness A Week Before Holidays After Losing His Job

We have had bad news this week, my husband was made redundant (laid off/no job anymore) from his job on Tuesday. I am thankful we are better off than most, and will be able to stretch our finances until he finds another job.

Amongst all of my stress, trying to stay strong for both of us...my husband gave me $100 cash and said "go on, go out and buy some coffee cards and Subway cards, lets take them to the hospital for the staff, they work hard" My eyes filled with tears, and I was so proud of my husband. I don't often have to say we can't do things because we need the money ourselves, but that was my first thought. He said "we will be okay, we need to look outwards not inwards" what a very special man.

Paid in Full with One Glass Of Milk

One day, a poor boy  who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.  He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However,he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?" "You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for kindness."  He said, "Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart." As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in humanity grew stronger as well.  He had been ready to give up ... Read Full Story >>

Magnetically Attracting Kindness

I found a twenty dollar bill on the ground the other day. I've been on a tighter than usual budget the last month so thanked my lucky stars for the opportunity to spend more on others. First few bucks were spent opportunistically: anonymously adding to the funds of an older man who went into a gas station counting bills and asking for ten dollars if gas. That kind of thing.   Last night I walked down the street after work and saw a woman selling a newspaper published for homeless folks. She also had some fridge magnets for sale. "What's your most popular magnet?" I asked. "Oh, probably the Bob Marley. This John Coltrane one is really nice too," she said. "I'm surprised it hasn't gone yet. They're five dollars each."   I counted the remains of the cash. "Here's nine dollars," I said.   "Which one would you like?"    "I don't need one myself, but the next person that ... Read Full Story >>

A Tail Waggin Way Of A Blessing

Last week, I was out getting the mail and noticed a dog crossing the street that looked oddly familiar. I went near the dog to see if it had a tag or if I recognized it to see if I could find the owner. When I got close to the dog, I realized that it was the same dog that my neighbors had lost 4 years ago. A few months ago, these neighbors moved out of my neighborhood, but that was not going to stop me finding them! I remebered they moved to Minnesota. I spent the rest of the day searching all of the people with their last name in the Minnesota area.  Finally when I was starting to give up hope, I called the last number.  I couldn't' believe it, it was them!   I told them of how I found their dog that went missing 4 years ago.  They thought it ... Read Full Story >>

Ask A Stranger If They Are Okay, And Mean It

While on a walk on the bike path, I noticed an older man riding his bike stop ahead of me and leaning over his handlebars. He appeared to be in pain.

As others just continued past him, I stopped and asked if he was okay. He said he was, and I said I was concerned since he looked like he was in pain.

He told me that he was and told me about how he had by-pass surgery not long ago and the doctors said it would be good for him to bike.

Once I was convinced he would be okay, I continued on. He road past me, thanking me for stopping.

It wasn't much but it felt good to do so. Even though he was a stranger, I was willing to stop to assist. This is my small act of kindness story for today.

Victim Treats His Mugger Right

Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner. But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn. He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife. "He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says. As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm." The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing ... Read Full Story >>

An Unexpected Tip from an Unlikely Customer

This happened to me years ago when I was a waitress, but I still remember this specific incident so vividly. As the end of the night was approaching, fifteen minutes before our restaurant closed, a gentleman came in.  I was the unfortunate waitress who got to stay after closing to take his order and serve him his food. The customer was impeccably difficult was quite openly upset with how his food was prepared, slightly overdone, perhaps a medium rare when he had requested rare. He sent his order back twice. When it eventually arrived to his liking, he needed a pot of coffee brewed fresh. Meanwhile, my managers and our cooks were breathing down my neck, as they wanted the last customer of the day to finally leave so that we could close up shop and go home.   At this point I was frustrated and tired. I had stayed 45 ... Read Full Story >>

The Kindness Wave and the Hopeful Tears

I want to share my tears with you. Now I know we've been here before with my pain and you have all given me love and support but today it's different. You see, as I sit and type this, this morning tears are running down my face, my nose is running and my heart is very active. All of this is good though. Let me explain.  My tears today are activated by joy, love, inspiration so many other positive emotions. I have been reading inspirational stories. Stories that have had a big pull on my heart. These include the latest stories I will share briefly with you: The police department who responded to an 80+  elderly man  who asked if someone would bring him food as he hadn't eaten in 2 days because his care-worker had scammed him out of his money.  4 or 5 policemen bought him grocery supplies out of their own pocket ... Read Full Story >>

The Simple Kindness of a Four Year Old

A few weeks ago, my oldest son, Erik decided to spend the day with one of his nieces, Mia, who is 4 years old. They went out and about to several places and then decided to go downtown before heading back home. Downtown is Mia's favorite place to go!  They were walking around and browsing in store windows and taking in the sights when Mia spotted some flowers and she picked a few. After some time, Mia began to drag a bit and Erik, wanting to head back home urged her along. Passing a few homeless men sitting along the sidewalks, he would walk a bit faster to get her past them, but she held back and made him come to a complete stop. ''C'mon, Mia. You need to walk with me.''  ''Okay, Uncle Erik '', she replied ''but this man needs a flower!''  He looked on as she handed the homeless man her flower and Erik said that the man smiled a big ... Read Full Story >>

How I Spent $100 on Smiles

Thank you, HelpOthers, for the opportunity to share smiles with flowers! Several life glitches have slowed this down, but the kindness keeps going. Below are a couple stories of ways my family and I have gotten to tag others! Act #1: Doorstep Smiles This evening, we are going to leave potted flowers on a wonderful lady's stairs, with a smile card and ribbons. Though she seems lonely to me when I see her sometimes, she always shares a smile for others. So I thought it perfect to leave her some smiles in return. Update: My ganddaughter, hubby, and I walked over this evening, and the timing was perfect. We reached over the gate that leads to her stairs and left the potted mum flowers on the steps, along with the stick, smile card and ribbons tied to it. Another pot below that stair, and the last below that. I have to say, this was so ... Read Full Story >>